Breakfast

Why is it that as the temperature drops (or in our case in NYC, fluctuates all over the place) and we roll into the holiday season, our schedules seem to get crazy busy? It is often during these times of hustle that I am reminded to slow down. Yes, there are gifts to buy and holiday parties to get to, but sometimes we just need to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures. That usually means starting my morning with something delicious.

Meet the Easy Coconut Yogurt & Granola Breakfast. It only takes a few simple ingredients and you’ve got yourself a breakfast that looks gourmet and tastes totally indulgent, but is healthy! It’s almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

Easy Coconut Yogurt & Granola Breakfast

Vegan & Gluten-free

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut yogurt or any other non-dairy yogurt

1/2 banana, sliced

1/4 cup gluten-free granola or musli

dried fruit, unsweetened – I used mango and raspberries (optional)

Directions:

Place yogurt in serving dish and top with sliced banana, granola and dried fruit. Voila!

I just returned from a relaxing trip in Ireland visiting my man. Being engaged to an Irishman makes for some interesting debates on what food should or shouldn’t be (and how it should or shouldn’t be pronounced). Irish scones are more like American style biscuits. They aren’t sweet, but they’re generally eaten with dollops of cream and jam.

The Irish use the word biscuit to describe…well, everything. Cookies are biscuits. Crackers are biscuits. I’m pretty sure everything is a biscuit. Except for cake. Everything else is cake. Brownies are cake. Cake is cake. Pudding is cake. Although sometimes pudding is bread. Pudding is also meat. Confused? You and I both.

There is one thing I can agree on with my man though – scones are best served freshly baked, warm from the oven with some homemade preserves or honey. Scones for breakfast or teatime; they are good all the time.

If you’re not thinking of the classic Irish scones, you’re probably thinking of the scones that are crumbly triangles drenched in glaze served in coffeehouses and bakeries galore. That’s not what’s happening here. We’re using simple, natural ingredients. Although slightly more compact than a classic scone, they still have a light texture and wonderful flavor. They are especially delectable with this berry chia seed jam. If there is one thing worth debating, it is who is making tea?

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sea salt and baking powder. Stir to combine. Add to the mixture melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until a very crumbly/dry batter forms. Add the hot water and stir until just combined.

Grease a 1/3 cup measuring cup and fill it with portions of the dough. Drop the portions onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, keeping an eye on these little gems. Allow scones to cool slightly before serving with jam.

Berry Chia Seed Jam

Vegan & Gluten-free

Ingredients:

1 cup berries (I used blackberries & blueberries)​

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp chia seed

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, blend the berries up with maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and place over low to medium heat for about 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add chia seeds and turn down the heat to super low/simmer. Keep mixing while chia seeds start to gel up and jam starts to thicken. About 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep. ​

Pour mixture into a glass jar with a lid. When it’s cool, seal up the container and store in fridge for about 5-7 days. ​

Happy new year to you! I hope that your holidays were filled with lots of warmth, love and happiness. A new year is a brand new beginning so let’s kick things off with renewed energy and a sparkling fresh focus. You may have noticed that I’ve been pretty quiet on the blog for the past few months. That’s because I’m head down in creativity mode creating HUGE and very EXCITING new projects that I’ll be bringing your way next month and later this spring! One of the surprises may be an updated look to the blog!

I’ve been chatting with some of you about what kind of recipes are helpful to you, and it sounds like we are all very busy people. Too busy to make breakfast, too busy to make lunch and too busy (and tired) to come home and make dinner. With that in mind, I am trying to include more recipes for busy people so that they can eat homemade + healthy more often. Starting with breakfast.

This one right here takes minimal effort and can be made ahead of time. As you would expect, it is dairy-free and gluten-free and oh-so delicious. The idea of this bircher is to create an easy weekday meal that can be portable if needed. You then have the option to eat it as is, or add some extra bits and bobs as toppings. This is a fabulous start to the day. It provides a complete balance of sustaining complex carbohydrates, protein and essential fats.

Combine the grain, non-dairy milk or water, flax/chia seeds in a large mixing bowl.

Mash fresh berries with a spoon until mostly smooth.

Spoon both mixtures creating layers into a container with a lid or place in jars for individual servings. Leave covered overnight in the fridge.

Top with fresh berries or whatever you have at home. Enjoy.

Keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Tell me, what other types of recipes, nutrition advice or other daily things would you like to see featured on the blog? Are there any design elements or functions you would like added/changed? Leave comments below! You can also join in the conversation on the figgy & sprout Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram too. Don’t forget to sign up for the monthly newsletter while you’re at it!

You might not have guessed it from reading this blog, but I get into a routine with recipes that I make for us at home. I will get stuck eating the same thing over and over, for breakfast especially. It is usually a green smoothie or some toast and a fruit bowl. I’ve been trying to break it up by doing something different one or two days out of the week.

Recently I decided I was going to make some porridge. You see, believe it or not I never had a bowl of porridge before moving to Europe. I was always a cold cereal kind of gal. I’ve been missing out. Porridge is super easy to make and also an easy way to switch up my routine.

I have never seen or made a fancy porridge, so I thought, why not. There is no reason simple ole porridge cannot get fancy. In this recipe, pears are caramelized lightly and infused with cinnamon and nutmeg which takes basic porridge to a heavenly level. It is then topped with warmed hazelnuts and maple syrup just before serving.

This porridge helped break up my morning recipe routine, and then some. Because it is good to break up the routine once in a while.

Caramelized Pear & Hazelnut Porridge

Vegan & Gluten-free

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 pear, sliced

1 Tbsp. hazelnuts

dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

1/2 cup fine rolled oats (I used organic gluten-free)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

maple syrup or honey, if desired

Directions:

In a small pan over medium heat add the coconut oil and pear. Sauté the pears until they are soft and caramelized. When they start to brown, add the hazelnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Place oats, water and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir gently until the porridge has thickened – about 5 minutes.

Spoon the prepared porridge into a bowl and pour the pears and hazelnuts on top. Serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup if desired.